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1 - Firth and the Origins of Systemic Functional Linguistics

Process, Pragma, and Polysystem

from Part I - SFL: The Model

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 May 2019

By
David G. Butt
Edited by
Geoff Thompson ,
Wendy L. Bowcher ,
Lise Fontaine  and
David Schönthal
Geoff Thompson
Affiliation:
University of Liverpool
Wendy L. Bowcher
Affiliation:
Sun Yat-Sen University, China
Lise Fontaine
Affiliation:
Cardiff University
David Schönthal
Affiliation:
Cardiff University
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Summary

This chapter outlines the important role of J. R. Firth and the underlying intellectual background to the development of Systemic Functional Linguistic theory. It sets out Firth’s approach to the role of linguistics in the human sciences, particularly his emphasis on meaning and context of situation, and outlines some of the fundamental differences between his view of language and other key views such as those held by Bloomfield and Chomsky. The chapter explains what Firth means when he argues that linguistics is about producing 'statements of meaning', and discusses three key terms that guide Firth’s approach to the study of language: patterns, pragma, and polysystem.
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Systemic Functional Linguistics , pp. 11 - 34
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

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